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STORY: GENEVA / IRAQ
TRT: 2.57
SOURCE: CH UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
DATELINE: 13 JUNE 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RECENT
1. Wide shot, exterior of Palais de Nations
13 JUNE 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English), Rupert Colville, Spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
"The full extent of civilian casualties is not yet known, but reports received by UNAMI, the UN Mission in Iraq suggest that the number of people killed may run into the hundreds and the number of wounded is said to be approaching one thousand. We've received reports of the summary execution of Iraqi army soldiers during the capture of Mosul and of seventeen civilians in one particular Mosul street on the 11th of June.
4. Close up, laptop
5. SOUNDBITE (English), Rupert Colville, Spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The High Commissioner will be warning parties to the conflict that they are obliged under international law to treat members of the armed forces who have laid down their arms, or are hors de combat humanely and that murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture can constitute war crimes. They must also take all feasible precautions in areas under their effective control to spare civilians from the effect of hostilities and to respect, protect and meet the basic needs of civilian populations."
6. Med shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English), Rupert Colville, Spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
" We've also had reports suggesting that government forces have also committed excesses, in particular the shelling of civilian areas, during the fighting on the 6th and 8th of June in Mosul, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties. There are claims that up to 30 civilians may have been killed during this shelling. We also received reports that at one point, government forces were not allowing civilians to leave from Mosul, as they were trying to do so and that people were actually being turned back from checkpoints on the outskirts of the city."
8. Cutaway, journalists at table
9. SOUNDBITE (English), Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency:
"UNHCR monitoring teams report than many of the people who have sought safety in Erbil and Duhok governorates arrived with little more than the clothes they were wearing. Many people have no money and nowhere to go. Some stay with relatives, others are at present in hotels where they are exhausting what funds they have. Many families in Duhok are also sheltering in schools, mosques, churches and unfinished buildings. A growing number of people are now staying in a hastily set-up transit camp near the Khazair checkpoint, some 40 kilometers from Mosul. Over the past two days, UNHCR has helped the government pitch tents there and is providing plastic sheets, hygiene kits and other relief items to the displaced. The host communities are providing hot meals and other food. Sister UN agencies are installing latrines and water tanks and providing other relief items."
10. Wide shot, press room
Human Rights spokesman, Rupert Colville told journalists in Geneva today (Fri 13), the UN mission in Iraq received reports of the summary execution of Iraqi soldiers during the capture of Mosul and of seventeen civilians on one street in Mosul on the 11th of June.
The High Commissioner has warned parties to the conflict that they are obliged under international law “to treat humanely members of the armed forces who have laid down their arms.”
The High Commissioner said they must take “all feasible precautions in areas under their effective control”, to spare civilians from the effects of hostilities.
Colville said there are also reports of violations by the Iraqi army.
These included allegations that security forces shelled civilian areas of Mosul killing up to 30 civilians and that soldiers were preventing civilians from leaving Mosul and turning them back from checkpoints on the outskirts of the city.
Spokesman for the UN Refugee Agency, Adrian Edwards cited shelter as a key challenge facing Iraqis fleeing the violence to the Kurdistan region.
Edwards said many arrived in Erbil and Duhok governorates “with little more than the clothes on their backs.” Many have no money and nowhere to go. While some stay with relatives, others are in hotels exhausting what funds they have.
The Refugee Agency said many families are sheltering in schools, mosques, churches and unfinished buildings.
A growing number of people is being sheltered in a hastily set transit camp near the Khazair checkpoint, some 40 kilometers from Mosul.
